Giant Antshrike

About the Giant Antshrike

The giant antshrike (Batara cinerea) is a species of bird in subfamily Thamnophilinae of family Thamnophilidae, the "typical antbirds". It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. The giant antshrike was described by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1819 and given the binomial name Thamnphilus cinerea (misspelled as Tamnphilus). The current genus Batara was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1831. It is the only member of genus Batara and has three subspecies, the nominate B. c. cinerea (Vieillot, 1819), B. c. excubitor (Bond, J & Meyer de Schauensee, 1940), and B. c. argentina (Shipton, 1918).

The giant antshrike is the largest antbird, 27 to 35 cm (11 to 14 in) long and weighing 100 to 155 g (3.5 to 5.5 oz). The species exhibits significant sexual dimorphism, though both sexes have a crest, a very long and wide tail, and a long gray bill with a hook at the end like true shrikes. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a black forehead, crown, and crest. Their back, wings, and tail are barred with black and white. Their face, nape, throat, and underparts are neutral gray. Adult females... Wikipedia →